Fact-finding team says Arshad Sharif’s murder was ‘planned assassination’
The fact-finding team probing the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif has concluded that his killing was a case of planned and targeted assassination not a case of mistaken identity.
The fact-finding committee’s 592-page report has been submitted to the Supreme Court with signatures of DG FIA and DG IB.
“Arshad Sharif’s murder was planned assassination. The Kenyan police did not provide any assistance in the investigation of the murder and the role of Arshad Sharif’s host in Kenyan, Khurram and Waqar, is crucial in the case and requires further investigation,” the report stated.
The FFT’s report further states that Waqar Ahmed could not answer the committee’s questions satisfactorily and the Arshad’s driver Khurram’s statements are full of contradictions as both are reluctant to provide the required information.
Arshad Sharif was forced to leave Pakistan after several cases in different districts of the country while he left UAE due to pressure from authorities.
“The four GSU (General Service Unit) police officials and OC GSU Training camp had been used as instruments in this case under influence, either financial or some other compulsion,” it stated.
It furthered that the fact that Waqar handed over Sharif’s personal cell phone and iPad to a Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) officer, rather than to the police, ‘established’ his link with the NIS.
The report further revealed that Arshad Sharif was hit from the back and exited from the right side of his chest while there was no bullet mark on Arshad Sharif’s seat.
“There are many contradictions in the statements of the Kenyan police and GSU. Arshad Sharif’s murder was not mistaken identity but a planned assassination,” report added.
“Their version of events is not believable”.
As many as twelve important personalities were in contact with the slain journalist when he was in Pakistan, UAE and Kenya.
According to the report, 16 cases were registered against Arshad Sharif in Pakistan but the committee was provided with copies of only 9 cases.
It furthered that the post-mortem report in Pakistan identified that four fingernails of the slain journalist’s left hand were missing, giving rise to speculation that Sharif had been tortured before his death.
However, it continued, that while the Kenyan post-mortem did mention “fingernails” taken as DNA samples, it did not mention how many fingernails were taken.
“Keeping in view the apparent differences in the two post-mortem reports, there is no concrete evidence to establish that Arshad Sharif was tortured before the killing,” the report said.
